Treatment of textile materials



9 Feb. 7, 1939. R. w. MONCRIEFF Er AL 2,145,945.

I TREATMENT OF TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed May 13, 1936 ROBERT W- MONCRIEFF PERCY H-- MILLER lNVENTORS f v ATTORNEYS I like members round which the flexible base Patented Feb. 7, 1939 PATENT OFFICE TREATMENT or TEXTILE MATERIALS Robent- Wighton MoncrieffanGiPQ GM' Henry Miller, Spondon, near Derby, England, assignors .to Qelanese Corporation of, America, a corporation of Delaware,

Application May 13, 1936, SeriaLNo. 79,590 In=,GreatBritain:May 24; 1935- 4 claims. (01., 68-204) A i A This invention relates to fthetreatmentof textile materials-with liquids intermittently: along 1 the length of the materials. The invention is especially concerned with the' intermittent liquid treatment of yarns;

"Forthe purpose .of. treatingyarns with a liquid intermittently along. their length, the yarnszmay be passed in contact withwheels ondrums whose peripheral: surfaces consist of suitably spaced slats I of appropriatewidths', the slats dipping into a trough or bath of the liquid'tobe applied to the: yarns. Bysuch: means the yarns-are treated with the liquid along the parts of their length 1 corresponding to? the slats and: are left untreated along theparts corresponding: with the gaps-between'theslats; By using aiwheelor drum havconveniently be-employed and; furthermore'it' is necessary towprovide a-,separate; wheel; or; drum for each new pattern required: It is anobject of thepresent invention to overcome these't-wo disadvantages; v

3 According to; the present invention the apparatus for the treatment of textile materials with liquid intermittently along their length comprises a flexible'base a plurality of slats adapted to beadjustably and removably mounted, on said base, and a plurality-of wheels or likeguiding members roundywhichsaidflexible base is adapted topass. The flexible base may-conveniently consist of twoor more" chains or bands running parallel with each other round sprockets or wheels- The slats extendfrorn' one chainor band to the other, and theslats aswell' as'the chains or hands are thereby maintained in parallel relationship. V I a "By the-use of the apparatus according to the presentxinvention patternsof any desired length may be produced'by adjusting the length of the flexible base and the position ofthe' wheelsor passes, By theuse of slats-"ofdifierent widths and by mounting and adjusting such slats in the ,desired manner, the pattern produced on each of the yarns treated may be of any desired character; Furthermore, the changing of the pattern mechanism. to produce difierent'patterns can be effected quickly and easily, and the expense of constructing a fresh pattern wheelfor every new pattern is avoided. If necessary the pattern may be built up two or three times or more on-the patterning" mechanism, especially when the desired pattern is short.

The invention is of" particular advantage in I theintermittent saponification of artificial yarns of cellulose acetate orother cellulose esters. Examples: of other cellulose esters are cellulose formate, propionateand butyrate, and mixed esters of cellulose; Saponification'is effected by the application to the yarns: of a suitable saponifying'agent such as caustic soda in aqueous or alcoholic solution; After the saponifying agent has been applied by the means according to the present invention, the yarns are dried and when the saponifying process has proceeded far enough the saponifyingagent is washed off to check further action. The invention'is also applicable to any other liquidtreatment of any type of yarn such-asthe dyeing, mordanting, discharging or thelike of yarns-ct cotton, wool, reconstituted cellulose or cellulose derivatives, such as the: cellulose esters-referred toaboveor cellulose ethers, e. g. ethyl? and benzyl cellulose.

'The apparatus may be so arranged that the yarns contact with the slats along a straight run of the-flexible base, in which case it is desirable that the-speed of the slats shouldbe accurately adjusted to equal the speed of the yarn. Thus the fiexiblebase may comprise two chains running round three pairs of sprockets, two of which I are-dlsposedhigher than the third so as to form a. horizontal run with-which the yarns contact. 'llhe third: pair of" sprockets dipsinto a bath of Inlarge scale operations it may be convenient to provide two sets of'patterning mechanisms for 5 each treating bath, so that while one of the mechanismsis' inuse for the production of one pattern the other mechanism may be adjusted to give the pattern next required. The whole of the first pattern mechanism is then lifted out of the bath and the second pattern mechanism put in its place so that the new pattern can be proceeded with without undue delay.

By way of example forms of apparatus according to the present invention will now be de- Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the op- I erative part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a diagrammatic end elevation in section and a diagrammatic side elevation of a further form of apparatus according to the present invention. I

In Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus illustrated comprises a bath I adapted to contain liquid which is to be applied intermittently along the length of the yarn 2 (Fig. 2). Four shafts 3, 4, 5, 6 are provided, the shaft 6 passing through gland bearings in the side of the bath I. The four shafts 3, 4, 5, 6 each carry a pair of sprockets l, 8, 3, It, the sprockets I mounted on .the shaft 6 being submerged beneath the treating liquid in the bath I.

Around the sprockets], 8, 9, I0 pass two chains II, I2 made upof plates as indicated at I13 and pins as indicated at I4 in Fig. 2. The innermost plates of each chain are larger than the rest as is shown at I5, and are provided with wings I6 at right angles to the main part of the plates. Each Wing is slotted as shown at H, so that a slat I8 can be secured thereto by means of nuts and bolts I9. widths, and these may be adjusted in varying positions upon the wings I6 according to the position occupied by the bolts I9 in the slots I'I. Other means may be adopted for adjustably securing the slats to the chain if desired. For example, the ends of the slats may be slotted instead of or in addition to the wings IE, or the wings I6 may be provided with pieces having a channel of inverted T sections, with which the head of a bolt passing through the slat I8 may be locked in any desired position by means of a nut above the slat I8. By any of these means, a chain of slats can be built up in any desired pattern, the slats being omitted altogether where a long gap is required.

The shafts 3, 4 carrying the sprockets I, 8 are mounted in bearings 20 on shoes 2I which slide on rails 22 provided at each side of the bath. By these means the positions of the shafts 3, may be altered and chains I I, I2 of any desired length can be accommodated. The sprockets 9 mounted on the shaft raise the'level of the slats at the point where the yarn 2 is caused to contact with the slats.

In Figs. 3 and 4, a modification of the invention is shown in which three sprockets 23, 24, 25 are employed, the pair. of sprockets 25 being sub-- merged in the bath I, while the pairs of sprockets 23 and 24 cause the chains II and I2 to follow a horizontal run, along which the yarns 2 contact with the slats: I8 carried. by the chains. The sprockets are carried on shafts 26, 21, 28 mounted in a frame 29 having lugs 30 which rest on the edge of the bath I. The shaft 21 is provided with a gear 3I engaging with a gear 32 on a driving shaft 33. The whole of the frame 29, ,together with the shafts 26, 21, 28, the sprockets Slats I8 are provided of various 23, 24, 25 and the chains II, I2 may be lifted bodily from the bath by means of carrying chains 34. By these means a desired pattern can be built up outside the bath I while another apparatus is being employed in the bath I, andthen when it is desired to change the pattern, the existing apparatus canbe lifted out of the bath and replaced by the duplicate apparatus without delay. 7

Having described our invention what we claim 1 and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

r 1. Apparatus for the treatment of textile materials with liquid intermittently along their length, said apparatus comprising a flexible base, a plurality of slats removably mounted on and slidably adjustable in relation to the length of said base, and a plurality of guiding members adapted to guide said flexible base so that said slatspass through the liquid to be applied and into contact with the textile materials.

2. Apparatus for the treatment of textile materials with. liquid intermittently along their I the slats mounted on'said chains to pass through the liquid to be applied and into contact with the textile materials.

3. Apparatus for the treatment of textile materials with liquid intermittently along their length, said apparatus comprising two chains formed of plates and pins passing through said plates, some of said plates being greater, in size than the rest, wings on said greater plates extending at right. angles thereto and parallel to the lengthof the chain, said wings being slotted in the direction of the length of the chain for the reception of bolts, a plurality of slats removably secured tosaid wings by bolts passing through the slats and slots, whereby the slats are adjustable over the lengthof said slots, and a plurality of sprockets adapted to guide said chains in parallel paths andto cause the slats mounted on said chains to pass through the liquid to be applied and into contact with the textile materials;

4. Apparatus for the treatment of textile materials with liquid intermittently along: their length, said apparatus comprising a bath adapted to contain the liquid to be applied, a frame adapted to be removably mounted in said bath, a plurality of parallel shafts carried by said frame, at least two chains, a plurality of slats removably mounted on and slidably adjustable in relation to the length of said chains and, in connection with each of said chains, a sprocket mounted on each of said shafts, said sprockets being adapted to uide said chains in parallel paths so that the slats mounted on saidchains pass through the liquid in said bath and into. contact with the textile materials while said textile materials are passing over said bath.

ROBERT WIGHTON MONCRIEFF. PERCY HENRY MILLER. 

